Defocusing Feature Matching System to Measure Camera Pose with Interchangeable Lens Cameras

ABSTRACT

A lens and aperture device for determining 3D information. An SLR camera has a lens and aperture that allows the SLR camera to determine defocused information.

This application claims priority from provisional application No. 61/232,947, filed Aug. 11, 2009, the entire contents of which are herewith incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Different techniques are known for three dimensional imaging.

It is known to carry out three dimensional particle imaging with a single camera. This is also called quantitative volume imaging. One technique, described by Willert and Gharib uses a special defocusing mask relative to the camera lens. This mask is used to generate multiple images from each scattering site on the item to be imaged. This site can include particles, bubbles or any other optically-identifiable image feature. The images are then focused onto an image sensor e.g. a charge coupled device, CCD. This system allows accurately, three dimensionally determining the position and size of the scattering centers.

Another technique is called aperture coded imaging. This technique uses off-axis apertures to measure the depth and location of a scattering site. The shifts in the images caused by these off-axis apertures are monitored, to determine the three-dimensional position of the site or sites.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,006,132 describes a geometric analysis in which a camera lens of focal length f is located at z=0. Two small apertures are placed within the lens, separated a distance d/2 away from the optical centerline which also corresponds to the z axis.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,006,132 describes using lens laws and self similar triangle analysis to find the geometrical center (X.sub.0,Y.sub.0) of the image pair, and then to solve for the image separation.

More generally, this can determine the pose of a camera that is obtaining the information, and the information from the camera, to determine 3D information about structures that is pieced together from multiple different images. US 2009/0295908 describes how camera pose can be simultaneously measured by using an additional set of apertures that measure a pose of the camera relative to the object when using a feature matching algorithm, using the same apertures that are used for defocusing.

There are often tradeoffs in aperture coding systems.

SUMMARY

The present application describes a lens system and assembly that is intended for attachment to an SLR camera or other camera with a replaceable lens assembly, and which includes coded apertures of a type that can be used for determining defocus information.

An embodiment describes using a camera for taking pictures and also for obtaining 3D information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

in the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows the camera with a picture taking lens;

FIG. 2 shows the camera with a special defocus lens assembly on the same body as in FIG. 1, and a computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A camera system is used with a conventional lens in a first embodiment to obtain a picture, and with a special lens assembly in a second embodiment to obtain defocused information. In the second embodiment, the lens and camera assembly is used with a computer to reconstruct a three-dimensional (3D) object from a number of different pictures at different camera orientations. The measuring camera can be handheld or portable. In one embodiment, the camera is handheld, and the computer reconstruct information indicative of the camera pose in order to stitch together information from a number of different camera exposures.

A system using defocusing to measure 3D objects was described by Willert & Gharib in 1992 using a feature matching system such as the Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) or an error minimization method (such as the Levenberg-Marquardt) method. This is described in general in US 2009/0295908, docket CIT049/CIT-5216, entitled “Method and Device for High Resolution Three Dimensional Imaging Which Obtains Camera Pose Using Defocusing.”

However, the inventors realized that this could be improved in a measuring camera which has interchangeable lenses. An embodiment describes how this system would be used in interchangeable lens cameras, such as C mount video cameras and single lens reflex (SLR) cameras. More generally, any camera of any type which has interchangeable lenses can be used for this.

A first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. An SLR 100 has a lens attachment part 110, an optical train 120 inside the camera, and an imager 130. The imager, may be, for example, any kind of imager such as a CMOS image sensor or the like. A number of auxiliary equipment such as an A/D converter 131 may convert the output of the imager 130 into a form which can be electronically processed and which is output through the USB port 135. In another embodiment, the output may be wireless. Also included within the camera, but not shown, is structure for carrying out automatically focusing automatic exposures and the like. The lens assembly 150 is connected to the attachment part 110. In one embodiment, the lens may include coded information 151 which indicates the type of lens, and which is communicated through an electronic detector connection 152 to the camera body 100. This may be a chip or may simply be a hardwired connection. The lens itself includes an objective lens portion 160, along with lens groups 161, 162. Focusing may be carried out by adjusting the distance between the lens groups 161, 162 using a manual or automatic focus device 163 which adjusts this distance. The camera also includes, as conventional, an aperture device 170 which is controllable by a control 175 that may open and close the size of the aperture. The aperture device may be a ring with sliding blades that open and close to adjust the diameter of the aperture opening, for example, an iris.

FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment in which a second lands 200 has been attached to the SLR body 100. The second lens 200 includes, in place of the aperture portion 170, a fixed device 210 which includes at least one channel coded aperture. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, there are two channel coded apertures including a first aperture 215 which is coded as read, and the second aperture 216 which is coded as green. As described herein, these apertures may be encoded in any way with different colors, different polarizations, or different shapes, or any other way of distinguishing between the apertures to form different color channels. More generally, the aperture device of lens 150 is replaced by a disk with apertures formed in the specific pattern used for a defocusing technique, which has fixed, channel coded apertures. In the embodiment, the apertures are located off of the optical axis shown generally as 205. This creates defocused information which is picked up by the image sensor 130.

The lens also may include a lens determination device 201 which indicates that the lens is a defocused obtaining lens.

Object reconstruction can be done with defocusing, which uses two or more off-axis apertures to measure distance from the degree of defocusing of the image. Defocusing causes the images generated by each aperture to be displaced in a rigorously defined manner. See, U.S. Pat. No. 7,006,132.

This technique can be implemented with any interchangeable lens camera. The 3D+pose information is encoded by the apertures.

Coding of the aperture(s) is required when using feature matching to measure camera pose. Color coding can be used in one embodiment. For example, three green coded apertures can be placed in a triangular pattern for defocusing with one red and one blue aperture placed on opposite sides for pose.

Alternatively, one blue and one red aperture can be used as shown in FIG. 2.

Other forms of coding can be used—for example, polarization coding, position coding, or shape coding where the different apertures have different shapes.

When used with an appropriate color imaging camera, virtually any camera with interchangeable lenses can be converted into a 3D+pose measurement system when connected to a camera. Because all of the depth and position information is coded in the specially designed aperture, there is very little constraint on the camera. It only needs to have a mount for interchangeable lenses (like C-Mount, Nikon, Canon, or F-Mount), a color sensor, which is found in virtually every camera, and a method for outputting the images in a format that a computer can process. For example, the “raw” output from the camera may be streamed to a computer via USB.

FIG. 3 shows a general flowchart of the operation of the image determination and processing according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, the imaging may be carried out using painted on features, for example features that are applied using contrast. In an embodiment, a contrast may be used of white and black particles sprayed with an aerosol.

At 300, the system obtains image information at a first time t1. In an embodiment, this can capture multiple images through multiple apertures, in a way that allows distinguishing between the apertures. In the embodiment, color filters are used to separate between the channels, as described above. One of the apertures can be associated with a red filter to only or predominately pass the red light. The other aperture can be associated with a blue filter to only or predominately pass the blue light. This forms two channels of information, one having passed through each of two separated apertures.

According to another embodiment, rather than separating the channels by colors, the apertures are arranged in a specified arrangement such as an equilateral triangle, and the processor 153 recognizes that equilateral triangle in the final image to find the different channels.

According to another embodiment, the different channels can be formed by modifying polarizations of different channels, by putting different polarizations on the different apertures and using those different polarizations as the different channels. The channels can be formed in different ways by providing different physical mask shapes, or by time division changing the aperture e.g. by moving it from place to place.

At 305, robust feature detector is used to determine references on the current image frame using a reduced data set, here the blue channel. Note that the image frame obtained at any one time will be smaller than the overall image frame. The references are referred to herein as being keypoints, but any reference that can be recognized in different images can be used.

The robust feature detector finds two-dimensional information (x, y) of the position of the keypoints as well as a feature vector style descriptor for those keypoints. That feature vector style descriptor will stay constant at any scale rotation and lighting for the points.

The feature vector style descriptor can be obtained by extracting interesting points on the object to provide a “feature description” of the object. This description has enough information that can be used to identify the object when attempting to locate the object in other images containing other objects. The features extracted from the training image are selected to be robust to changes in image scale, noise, illumination, and local geometric distortion to perform reliable recognition. This may use techniques, for example, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,293. The commercially available scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) software can be used for this detection.

Three dimensional point information for each of the keypoints is also determined at 310. This can use, for example, a cross correlating technique for determining 3D information from defocused points within the two channels.

315 forms a map of the different ts. It matches the different parts of the three dimensional information corresponding to the keypoints in order to obtain a transformation T (translation and rotation) between the ts. This finds information indicative of the “pose” of the camera at this time.

320 represents transforming the dense point cloud for each obtained frame to using the pose information.

At 325, the dense point set is saved.

Although only a few embodiments have been disclosed in detail above, other embodiments are possible and the inventors intend these to be encompassed within this specification. The specification describes specific examples to accomplish a more general goal that may be accomplished in another way. This disclosure is intended to be exemplary, and the claims are intended to cover any modification or alternative which might be predictable to a person having ordinary skill in the art. For example, other forms of processing can be used. Other camera types and mounts besides the specific type herein can be used.

The cameras described herein can be handheld portable units, to machine vision cameras, or underwater units.

Although only a few embodiments have been disclosed in detail above, other embodiments are possible and the inventors intend these to be encompassed within this specification. The specification describes specific examples to accomplish a more general goal that may be accomplished in another way. This disclosure is intended to be exemplary, and the claims are intended to cover any modification or alternative which might be predictable to a person having ordinary skill in the art. For example, other stage operated and operable devices can be controlled in this way including winches and movable trusses, and moving light holders.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the exemplary embodiments of the invention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein, may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can be part of a computer system that also has a user interface port that communicates with a user interface, and which receives commands entered by a user, has at least one memory (e.g., hard drive or other comparable storage, and random access memory) that stores electronic information including a program that operates under control of the processor and with communication via the user interface port, and a video output that produces its output via any kind of video output format, e.g., VGA, DVI, HDMI, displayport, or any other form.

A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. These devices may also be used to select values for devices as described herein.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The memory storage can also be rotating magnetic hard disk drives, optical disk drives, or flash memory based storage drives or other such solid state, magnetic, or optical storage devices. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. The computer readable media can be an article comprising a machine-readable non-transitory tangible medium embodying information indicative of instructions that when performed by one or more machines result in computer implemented operations comprising the actions described throughout this specification.

Operations as described herein can be carried out on or over a website. The website can be operated on a server computer, or operated locally, e.g., by being downloaded to the client computer, or operated via a server farm. The website can be accessed over a mobile phone or a PDA, or on any other client. The website can use HTML code in any form, e.g., MHTML, or XML, and via any form such as cascading style sheets (“CSS”) or other.

Also, the inventors intend that only those claims which use the words “means for” are intended to be interpreted under 35 USC 112, sixth paragraph. Moreover, no limitations from the specification are intended to be read into any claims, unless those limitations are expressly included in the claims. The computers described herein may be any kind of computer, either general purpose, or some specific purpose computer such as a workstation. The programs may be written in C, or Java, Brew or any other programming language. The programs may be resident on a storage medium, e.g., magnetic or optical, e.g. the computer hard drive, a removable disk or media such as a memory stick or SD media, or other removable medium. The programs may also be run over a network, for example, with a server or other machine sending signals to the local machine, which allows the local machine to carry out the operations described herein.

Where a specific numerical value is mentioned herein, it should be considered that the value may be increased or decreased by 20%, while still staying within the teachings of the present application, unless some different range is specifically mentioned. Where a specified logical sense is used, the opposite logical sense is also intended to be encompassed.

The previous description of the disclosed exemplary embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these exemplary embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. 

1. A method comprising: a first time, obtaining an image with a camera with a first lens attached to the camera where the first lens includes controllable aperture, and said first image includes information for the two-dimensional image; and at a second time, obtaining an image with said camera using a different second lens attached to the camera, where the second lens includes an aperture set that is coded to form two separate channels which are differentiable from one another, and produces an output which includes information indicative of three-dimensional, defocused, information.
 2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising using said output at said second time to create a three-dimensional image.
 3. A method as in claim 2, further comprising using said output of said second time to determine both the pose of the camera at the time of said second time, and also to determine poses of the camera at other times when other information was obtained, and to combine together said output with said other information to create a composite 3-D image based on said output and other information.
 4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising at said first time, controlling said aperture to different aperture amounts.
 5. A method as in claim 4, wherein said aperture at said second time is fixed.
 6. A method as in claim 5, wherein said aperture of said second time includes a first aperture with a first color coding, and a second aperture with a second color coding.
 7. A method as in claim 6, wherein said first color coding is red and said second color coding is green.
 8. A method as in claim 1, further comprising communicating between said lens and said camera using a device in said lens to indicate a type of said lens.
 9. A lens assembly, comprising: a first portion which connects to a camera of a type which receives conventional lenses that have lens groups and controllable apertures, said first portion including the portion that connects to said camera; a lens group, defining an optical axis through a body of said lens assembly; and a fixed aperture plate, defined along said optical axis, which has at least a first fixed aperture at a first location on said optical axis and at least a second fixed aperture at a second location on said optical axis, where said first and second fixed apertures are optically differentiable.
 10. A lens assembly as in claim 9, further comprising an element within said lens assembly which communicates electrically to a camera and indicates information about the lens assembly.
 11. A lens assembly as in claim 9, wherein said first and second fixed apertures have different colors which are differentiable from one another.
 12. A method lens assembly as in claim 9, wherein said first and second fixed apertures have different polarization states.
 13. A lens assembly as in claim 9, wherein said first and second fixed apertures have different outside shapes.
 14. A system comprising: a camera body; a lens assembly, having an aperture set that is coded to form two separate channels which are differentiable from one another, said camera body producing an output which includes information indicative of three-dimensional, defocused, information; and a computer, coupled to said camera body to receive said information from said camera body, said computer using said output to create a three-dimensional image.
 15. A system as in claim 14, wherein said computer uses said information to determine both the pose of the camera body and lens, and also to determine poses of the camera body and lens at other times when other information was obtained, and to combine together said output with said other information to create a composite 3-D image based on said information and said other information.
 16. A system as in claim 14, wherein said aperture has a first aperture portion with a first color coding, and a second aperture portion with a second color coding.
 17. A system as in claim 16, wherein said first color coding is red and said second color coding is green.
 18. A system as in claim 14, further comprising a device in said lens that provides information to said camera body indicating a type of said lens. 